Spring device, including retaining means for retaining the spring in compressed condition



Jan. 25, 1955 H. w. ALDRIN 2,700,539

SPRING DEVICE, INCLUDING RETAINING MEANS FOR RETAINING THE SPRING IN COMPRESSED CONDITION Filed April 26, 1951 IN V EN TOR. Hill/1?) WILIYELM AIDE! WIR United States Patent SPRING DEVICE, INCLUDING RETAINING MEANS FOR RETAINING THE SPRING IN COMPRESSED CONDITION Henry Wilhelm Aldrin, Bofors, Sweden, assignor to Aktiebolaget Bofors, Bofors, Sweden, :1 Swedish corporation Application April 2 6 1951, Serial No. 223,122

Claims priority, application Sweden May 3, 1950 7 Claims. (Cl. 267-1) The present invention relates to a spring device including a spring which can be retained in a compressed condition, more particularly to stop means for retaining the said spring in the compressed condition.

Spring devices with retaining means of the general type, above referred to, are useful in many fields of application. A particularly useful field of application is use of the spring device as rammer spring for firearms.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a spring device of the general type, above referred to, the spring retaining means of which are sturdy, simple in design and reliable in operation.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide retaining means including a member which experiences a movement in one direction when the spring is compressed and a movement in the opposite direction when the spring is released.

Other and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be pointed out hereinafter and set forth in the appended claims forming part of the application.

In the accompanying drawing a now preferred embodi ment of the invention is shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side view of the device according to the invention, the spring being shown in released position.

Fig. 2 is a side view similar to Fig. 1 showing the spring compressed and retaining means locked in the spring retaining position, and

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the spring just being released.

Referring now to the figures in detail, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises housing 1 from the bottom of which a post or bracket 2 is extended. A shaft 3 is supported between this bracket and one wall of the housing. On this shaft, two casings or sleeves 4 and 5 are disposed. Sleeve 4 is secured to the housing wall and sleeve 5 is slidable on the shaft. One end of sleeve 5 is telescoped upon sleeve 4 and the other end of the sleeve is partly closed to form an abutment for a spring 6. This spring abuts with its other end against housing wall 1 or an extension cap 21 secured thereto. Spring 6 which is coiled about shaft 3 is so loaded that it biases sleeve 5 toward the position of Fig. 1. A buffer spring 7 is disposed on shaft 3 between sleeve 5 and post 2.

The retaining or stop means comprise a stop member 8, preferably in form of a bridge, which is pivotal about a pivot 9 secured to housing 1. The pivotal movements of member 8 which forms a two-arm lever are limited on one side by a fixed stop 10 which may be secured to housing 1 and on the other side by a stop member 11 which is pivotal about a pivot 12 which may be secured to housing 1. As will be apparent, stop member 11 permits a pivotal movement of member 8 in clockwise direction when the stop is in the position of Fig. 1 but prevents such pivotal movement in the position of Fig. 2 in which stop 11 engages the tip of member 8.

Member 8 has an axial slot 22 therethrough within which a control element or catch 14 is pivotally mounted by means of a pivot 13. Catch 14 coacts with a spring means shown as comprising a stationary cup 15 secured 8 for instance to housing 1 and a cup 16 slidable in cup 15.

A spring 17 disposed within the cups, biases cup 16 against catch 14 so that this catch is pivoted toward sleeve A nose 23 engageable with a wall portion of member 8 limits the aforementioned pivotal movement of catch 14.

As will be noted, catch 14 has a portion protruding from stop member 8, the side 19 of this portion being steeply slanted and the side 20 being less steeply slanted. The protruding portion of the catch coacts with a nose 18 downwardly extending from sleeve 5.

The sides 19 and 20 of catch 14 and nose 18 are so shaped and disposed relative to each other that the bridge member 8 experiences an upward movement relative to sleeves 4 and 5 when sleeve 5 is moved from the position of Fig. 1 in which spring 6 is relaxed into the position of Fig. 2 in which spring 6 is compressed, and stop member 11 is in the position of Fig. 1.

As will be apparent, nose 18 can pass over catch 14 by depressing the same into slot 22.

In the position of Fig. 2, catch 14 retains spring 6 in its compressed condition, and a pivotal release movement of member 8 is prevented by engagement between stop member 11 and member 8.

When now stop member 11 is returned into the position of Fig. 1 and spring 6 is released, engagement be tween side 19 of the catch and nose 18 will cause a pivotal movement of bridge member 8 in opposite direction, that is, in downward direction. I

As previously mentioned, the device according to the invention is suitable for use as rammer spring for firearms. It is particularly useful as a device for facilitating the manual firing of guns in which the spring 6 exerts a great pressure at the rammen, As will appear from the previous specification the bridge member 8 when released by pivoting of stop 11 is compelled to make a pivotal movement by the pressure of the rammer sleeve 5 on catch 14. As a result of this movement, the rammer sleeve can move and throw a round into the gun. The rammer sleeve is then brought back into its initial position by the power of the recoil and the bridge member is returned 507 its original position by the pressure exerted by spring While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a certain now preferred example and embodiment of the invention it will be understood by those skilled in the art after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

A control assembly comprising in combination two members disposed movably one relative to the other, spring means between said members in engagement therewith and biased to separate said members, and stop means for releasably retaining said members in a relative position in which said spring means are compressed, said stop means including a pivotally mounted stop member, a control element pivotally mounted on the stop member, and loaded spring means abutting against said control element and biasing the same into a position protruding from the stop member on the side thereof facing the spring actuated members, one of the spring actuated members having a projection thereon engageable with said control element, said control element and said projection being positioned and shaped relative to each other so as to cause pivoting of the stop member in one direction when the spring actuated member having said projection thereon is moved toward the other spring actuated member for compressing the spring means and to cause pivoting of the stop member in opposite direction when the spring means are compressed, engagement between said control element and said projection releasably retaining the respective spring actuated member in the position in which the spring means are compressed.

2. An assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the said control element is shaped on its side facing the projection when the spring means are substantially relaxed so as to cause the said projection to pivot the control element into spring actuated members are moved toward each other,

and on its side facing the projection when" the spring means are compressed so as to retain the spring actuated members" in their spring compressing" relative" position.

3. An assembly as defined in claim 2, in combination with a stationarily mounted stop engageable with the stop member for limiting pivotal movement thereof in one direction, and a movably mounted stop engageablewith the stop member for limiting" pivotal movement thereof inthe opposite direction, engagement of both the stops withthe stop member arresting the latter member in a predetermined position; p

4. An assembly as defined in claim 3,-whe'rei'n said stop member includes a slot therethrough', and wherein said control element is pivotallymo'u'nted' withinsaid slot, said control element having a portion engageable with a wall portion of the stop member'bounding said slot for limiting pivotal movement of the control element by the spring means co'zicting with the control element.

5. An assembly as defined in claim 1}, in combination with a stationarily mounted stop engageable with the stop member for limiting a pivotal movement thereof in one direction, and a movable mounted stop engageable with the stop member for limiting a pivotalmovement thereof in the opposite direction, engagement of both thestops with the stop member arresting the latter member in a predetermined position, the said stop member being in form of a bridge between the stationary stop and the movable stop.

6. An assembly asdefined in claim 5, wherein said spring actuated members are each in form of a sleeve housing the respective spring means, said sleeves being telescoped one into the other on one end, the other ends of the sleeves being shaped to form abutments for the spring means,v and wherein said stop member is disposed approximately parallel to said sleeves.

7. A control assembly comprising in combination two aligned members movable one relative to the other, spring means between said members in engagement therewith and biased to separate said members, stop means for releasably retaining said members in a relative position in which said spring means are compressed, the said stop means including a pivotally mounted two-arm lever, a locking nose yieldably mounted on said lever engageable with one of said spring actuatedmembers, said nose yielding for passage of the said'actuated member over and past the stop member in a direction for compressing saidspring means and blocking movement of the said spring actuated member in the opposite direction for retaining the said member in a position compressing the spring means, the said nose being disposed on the lever in a spatial relationship relative to the pivot point of the lever so as to cause the compressed spring means to exert a pressure upon the nose tendingito" pivot the lever toward separation of the nose and the respective spring actuated memher, and movable retaining means for releasably retaining the lever in the pivotal position in which the nose blocks movement of the respective spring actuated member in said opposite direction, thesaid retaining means being movable-into a position freeingthe lever for said pivotal release movement.

References Cited-in the file of this Patent UNITED STATES PATENTS- 

